Saudi Arabia
Haql
A rusting cargo ship half-swallowed by turquoise shallows on a beach facing the Gulf of Aqaba.
The Georgios G sits in shallow turquoise water just metres from the shore, its hull rusted to the colour of dried blood, its deck listing at an angle that nature is slowly correcting. The Gulf of Aqaba stretches north beyond the wreck, narrow and deep, with the mountains of Sinai visible on the Egyptian shore opposite. The beach itself is empty — just sand, salt air, and the slow disintegration of a cargo ship that ran aground decades ago.
Haql is a small town on Saudi Arabia's northwest coast, where the Gulf of Aqaba narrows to its most slender point before opening into the Red Sea. The beached wreck of the Georgios G — a cargo ship that ran aground on the reef — has become the town's unlikely landmark, photogenic in its decay against the turquoise shallows. Beyond the wreck, the Gulf of Aqaba offers some of the best diving on the Saudi coast, with deep walls, strong currents, and coral formations accessible from shore. The strait is narrow enough that Egypt's Sinai Peninsula is visible from the beach, and the mountains on both sides create a landscape that feels more Mediterranean than Arabian.
Solo
The wreck, the dive sites, and the empty beach are all the company a solo traveller needs — Haql is atmospheric without being social.
Couple
The rusting ship against turquoise water is one of Saudi Arabia's most photogenic compositions — couples photograph it at every hour of light.
Family
The shallow, warm beach near the wreck is safe for children, while older family members can dive the deeper Gulf waters offshore.
Friends
Group diving trips in the Gulf of Aqaba's currents, followed by beach barbecues with the wreck as backdrop, make Haql a social destination with edge.
- The Georgios G cargo ship, run aground decades ago, sits half-submerged in turquoise shallows — walkable at low tide.
- The Gulf of Aqaba's deep walls and clear water make this one of the best dive sites on the Saudi coast.
- The beach faces Sinai across the narrow strait — Egypt is visible on clear days.
- Shallow warm water and a sandy beach make it accessible for families alongside the adrenaline diving.
Grilled reef fish with tahini and lemon, eaten cross-legged on the sand as the sun drops behind Sinai.
Sweet mint tea and knafeh — shredded pastry over molten cheese soaked in rosewater syrup.
Jericoacoara
Brazil
Windswept dunes where the sun melts into the sea from a natural stone arch.
St Ives
England
Light so luminous it lured a century of painters to this harbour of turquoise shallows.
Tulpar-Köl
Kyrgyzstan
Alpine pools at 3,500 metres that mirror a 7,000-metre peak at dawn like shattered glass.
Philae Temple
Egypt
A temple rescued from rising waters, reassembled stone by stone on an island in the Nile.
Wabar Craters
Saudi Arabia
Meteor craters ringed by black glass and iron fragments deep in the Empty Quarter.
Rawdhat Khuraim
Saudi Arabia
After winter rains, this barren desert basin erupts into a wildflower sea that vanishes within weeks.
Al-Ula
Saudi Arabia
Nabataean tombs carved into sandstone cliffs that glow amber at dusk.
Jeddah Al-Balad
Saudi Arabia
Coral-stone towers with carved wooden balconies leaning over spice-scented alleys.